Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s pending heavyweight unification title fight hasn’t swayed the people who vote on the WBA heavyweight rankings. Many are hesitant to rank Fury, who has flirted with retirement several times over the past few years. Fury also lost some favor in the boxing community when he was knocked down in a fight with Francis Ngannou, which Fury won by a narrow decision.

But that is part of the sport. Fury, who is 35 and the lineal champion, is part of a generation of boxers heading toward the back half or end of their careers. Former champion Deontay Wilder was recently outclassed in a fight with Joseph Parker. Anthony Joshua has already lost twice to Usyk and is trying to prove that he deserves another shot at a world championship.

Heavyweight boxing news shows that times are slowly changing, and yet another generation is ready to try to unseat the top guys.

Unproven Martin Bakole Ranked No. 1

Bakole has the style that could prove to make a popular heavyweight champion. The question about Bakole is whether he has the quality to hang with other top contenders. Bakole, 30, was born in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He turned pro in March 2014 and ran off nine wins before taking on Ali Baghouz for the IBO Continental heavyweight title in November 2017. He would defend that belt once before taking his first career defeat against former Olympian Michael Hunter. Since then, Bakole hasn’t run into much trouble, winning his next nine fights, including seven by KO or TKO.

Bakole is now 20-1 in his career with 15 knockouts. While Bakole is ranked No. 1, it is hard to imagine him getting the next opportunity to fight Usyk. There are other top names who may bring a bigger box office, and Bakole has yet to establish himself on the world stage, according to online boxing news.

Joshua Still Keeps Hat in Championship Ring

Joshua, 34, has continued to stay active since losing his second bout against Usyk by split decision in August 2020. There was some thought that Joshua’s last win over Otto Wallin was going to set up a super fight with Wilder, but Wilder’s loss to Parker squashed any of that talk. Without the belts being at stake, there seems to be little chance that Joshua and Fury would finally get together.

A fight between Joshua and Fury, two British fighters, is something that audiences had been clamoring for. However, neither side was able to get the negotiations done. Despite two losses to Usyk and a stunning upset loss to Andy Ruiz, Jr., Joshua still has a 27-3 record. If he can stay active, he will always be on the cusp of championship contention.

Parker Cements Status as a Contender

Wilder is a man who only needs one punch to finish another fight. But No. 3 ranked Parker wasn’t planning on being on the receiving end of that strike on Dec. 23, 2023, at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. Despite being a large underdog, Parker crushed the former champion and won comfortably on all three scorecards: 118-111, 118-110, and 120-108.

Parker, 31, has been on the edge of the world title picture for some time. He has collected a few regional heavyweight crowns but lost a fight to Joshua that would have given him a world championship. Parker is 34-3 during his career and has won 23 fights via knockout.

Dubois Still Reeling from Loss to Usyk

Daniel Dubois and his team were outraged. During the fifth round of a bout with Usyk in August 2023, Dubois hit Usyk with a shot that the referee deemed to be illegal. Usyk reacted to the low blow by using all five minutes to recover from the shot.

Dubois argued that the low blow should have been deemed legal and was a clean knockout. However, the referee and many observers disagreed. Usyk shook off the damage and ended up knocking out Dubois, ranked No. 4, in the ninth round. Dubois is 20-2 in his career and has 19 of his wins by knockout, according to boxing updates tonight.

Unbeaten Cuba Powerhouse Enters Top Five

Frank Sánchez, 31, put on a strong performance with a lot of interested boxing tabs keeping tabs on their event on Dec. 23, 2023, in Saudi Arabia. Sánchez has compiled a 24-0 record, including his seventh-round TKO win over Junior Fa at Kingdom Arena. Sánchez turned professional in 2015 and won his first six fights by knockout.

Sánchez has captured a couple of regional heavyweight titles but has yet to be called up to fight against the established fighters.

Wilder Falls Out of the Rankings Entirely

Wilder, 38, is creeping toward 40 and the former top contender and former WBC heavyweight champion. However, after Wilder’s loss to Parker, there is a chance that Wilder may be wearing a tag as a one-trick pony. Wilder’s trick, however, is a deadly one.

Wilder has tremendous stopping power and has 20 first-round knockouts. Wilder hasn’t been quite the same since he wrapped up his trilogy of fights with Fury in 2021. The two men had their first fight end in a draw. Fury won the second fight by TKO and the third fight by 11th-round KO.

After a bounce-back knockout win over Robert Helenius, Wilder lost to Parker as a -700 betting favorite. Wilder is running out of time to try and run down big fights, and without a win over another top contender, his time in the spotlight is likely over.

WBA Top 10 Will Change Quickly

Here is the list of top 10 heavyweights according to the WBA:

Champion: Oleksandr Usyk

1. Martin Bakole
2. Anthony Joshua
3. Joseph Parker
4. Daniel Dubois
5. Frank Sánchez
6. Lenier Pero
7. Cassius Chaney
8. Agit Kabayel
9. Fabio Wardley
10. Filip Hrgović

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